Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending. The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut. "Most of the federal spending is entitlements," Musk told the Fox Business Network. "That's the big one to eliminate."
The Trump administration is proposing to shorten ObamaCare's annual open enrollment period by a month, a move the administration said is aimed at helping consumers pick the right plan. According to a proposed rule released Monday, open enrollment would run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, instead of through Jan. 15.
The lawsuit, filed in a Maryland state court in late February, alleges that the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary's cybersecurity standards were insufficient to prevent the attack. The Russian ransomware group responsible for the cyberattack used stolen credentials to remotely access a company portal that didn't have multifactor authentication. CareFirst is seeking $900,000 in damages, along with interest and attorney fees.
The AMA and a chorus of physician groups decried what they say is a decision by the Republican-controlled Congress to allow a devastating cut in Medicare payments to physicians. A funding bill released over the weekend by Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives will allow to go forward a 2.8% cut in payments from Medicare.
Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of HHS were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trump's government cuts. Workers cannot start opting in until Monday and have until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit a response for the so-called voluntary separation offer.
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has reported a net loss of $115 million for 2024 after experiencing a nearly 20% increase in health care costs over the past 18 months. The company also announced a 3% reduction in the workforce, which constitutes 30 employees. Driven by a surge in both healthcare prices and utilization, pharmacy costs for BCBSRI members jumped 14% in 2024, while outpatient care grew more than 10% over the prior year.